WHAT IS THE HDP?

We believe in honest politics.

We, the Peoples' Democratic Party, believe in honest and transparent politics. We know that the relationship between politicians, bureaucrats and economic capital is one that is based on interest and is a byproduct of this political system. We are fighting against the vortex of corruption and bribery that has seized all mediums of politics, from the local to the federal, in Turkey.

We are a democratic party.

We the democratic and peaceful forces of Turkey; representatives of labor, ecology and women’s rights associations, artists, writers, intellectuals, independent individuals, workers, representatives of different ethnic and religious groups, the unemployed, the retired, farmers, the handicapped, scientists and those whose cities are being destroyed have united here. Our organization starts from the streets and develops into local assemblies in our neighborhoods.

Our local assemblies and party are open to everyone whose willing to work with us.

New and honest; democratic and self-governing; egalitarian and just; not disdaining; positive and productive; powerful, well-equipped and competent; problem solving; a true party of democracy.

We are a party of freedom and equality.

We demand what we seek the most in our land: freedom, equality, peace and justice. We fight for democracy, workers’ rights and humane life standards. We highly regard the rights of nature and of humans and all those that inhabit the world.

We believe that people deserve the opportunity to freely and equally exercise their rights. We demand that in order to establish a well-functioning democracy, such rights be constitutionally assured for those who speak different native languages and are of different religious or ethnic backgrounds too. HDP demands a constitutional assurance to exercise peoples’ rights in their vernacular and with respect to their cultural or religious beliefs and background.

We want to live in a country where no one is discriminated against or subjected to any form of oppression or pressure because of their ethnic backgrounds, beliefs or thoughts. The only way to construct a two-way peace process and a peaceful, democratic future is through ensuring that everyone lives equally and freely together in society.

We are a pro-peace party.

Achieving peace in Turkey is HDP’s top priority. In order to guarantee peace, it is essential to establish the right to education in one’s native language, the right to self-govern at the local level and the constitutional recognition of equal citizenship. We believe that in order to bring peace to Turkey, everyone’s, primarily the Kurdish and Alawite peoples’, righteous demands should be respected and recognized rather than be ignored.

We demand peace not just for Turkey, but also for everyone else around the world. We support the peoples’ struggle for peace and freedom in the Middle East and across the world against the invasions, wars, military zones, and armament fueled by the imperialist powers.

We are a pro-labor party.

The capitalist system exploits and alienates the masses. We believe in establishing humane economic and social living standards for the working class. We stand in unity with the working class struggle against the unsanitary, unsafe, uninsured working conditions, efforts to de-unionize workers and subcontracting.

We are fighting against unemployment, poverty, and the devastation of local producers and farmers. We are part of the struggle of the oppressed masses.

We are a pro-self government party.

We do not believe that democracy is solely about voting every four or five years. We support direct democracy.

It is essential for people to organize in all areas of life in order to have a say in all decision-making processes that affect them. We strive to guarantee that all individuals are included in these processes.

HDP believes that the establishment of democratic and autonomous local governments is the first step towards a well-functioning democracy. We work to put in place strong local governments, and we defend every citizens’ right to the city. Governors and district governors should be elected, not appointed. Education, healthcare and safety services should be provided by local governments.

We are a pro-gender equality party. Women are being exploited and discriminated against at home, and at work. Most of them are employed for lower wages and much longer hours. They are subjected to violence: sexual assault, harassment, rape and ‘honor’ crimes.

We implement positive discrimination policies until the day women and men are viewed as equals in this country. As a result, we exercise equal representation policies across our party organizations.

We struggle against the male-dominated order in social, economic, cultural and political life. We support women’s struggle for freedom and equality.

To us, discrimination against LGBTQ individuals is no different from racism or any other form of oppression. We raise the voice of the LGBTQ community against hate crimes, xenophobia, murders and violence against LGBTQ individuals.

We are a green party.

Nature is on the verge of death. The flora and fauna are constantly put under threat for the sake of profit. The world we live in does not solely belong to us, and is not for us to devastate its resources. The forests, birds, flowers and the bugs of this planet have rights too, as nature has its own balance and order in place. We will protect this order.

We do not believe that nature is a commodity that can be bought or sold. We are not the masters of nature. Our struggle is against those who pollute the air, threaten nature, and pollute and exhaust our lakes and rivers with ‘mega crazy projects’ and nuclear and hydroelectric plants.